Psalm 24:3-4

Psalm 24:3-4

Psalm 24:3 “Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place?”

[This means not everyone may ascend and stand before you, Lord, for you, being holy and pure, have conditions that we must meet first.

I praise you that you do not bend your standards, but met your demands in Christ so that we can come before you. Praise you that you will not allow sin to enter heaven, that you will definitely eliminate wickedness from the new heaven and earth, while saving those who trust in you. This is a wonderful part of our hope in you, Lord God.]

Psalm 24:4 “He who has clean hands and a pure heart,”

[These we can have only in you, Lord Jesus. There is no way we can purify ourselves of all the sinful tendencies and drives which are an innate part of our natural heart, or clean our hands from all the wrong things we have done.

David did so much wrong with his hands, killing women and children in his raids, having so many wives, committing adultery and murder–yet you, Lord Jesus, provided cleansing and purity for him, and for us. You are the One who paid the penalty so we can have cleansed hands, and a new, pure heart. Praise be to you!]

“who does not lift up his soul to an idol,”

[Here is our part, to worship you alone, Lord Jesus. Praise you, Lord, that you are showing me the many idols in my heart, that is, whatever I demand, apart from you, to be happy. I praise you that you have exposed so many and continually help me to reject them.

You, O Lord God, are the only one worth lifting our souls to, and I commit myself to do that. Help me to quickly spot my idols and reject them.]

“or swear by what is false.”

[To put value on what is false is a serious sin. Only what you, Lord, value is worth our time and energy. I praise you that in you we can be free from what is false, for you are Truth itself and the truth sets us free.

You know all things, therefore your measure of truth is the one we should use. I praise and thank you, Lord Jesus, for shepherding us into freedom FROM falsehood, and freedom IN Truth.

You are the wise God who, through your Word and Spirit, reveals to us what we cannot possibly discover with our feeble intellect. You are the great and wonderful God whom we can worship because you have opened the way to a rich and revealing relationship with you. Help me to walk with you closely through the whole of this day, obeying what I know to be true, honoring you.